Reverend Raven has been playing Chicago blues for more than three decades. That’s a long time to be down in the dumps. Fortunately, the rev was born and raised in Chicago, where the blues are a bit more chipper than the rural type. With his three-piece band, the Chain Smoking Altar Boys, Raven storms through urban blues like a classic Chicago combo. Their sets tackle the usual genre themes — particularly low-down dirty women that done them wrong (“Bye Bye Baby”) and the low-down dirty women they done wrong (“Please Let Me Explain”. Their latest CD, Live at Blues on Grand, is a recap of their fiery live set, which will be on display tonight.
Sat., July 8, 8:30 p.m.

This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2006.